Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in personal and business development but unsure what to expect? Then read up on our interview with Amber McDuffie, CEO of Amber McDuffie Co., located in Grayson, GA, USA.
What's your business, and who are your customers?
Amber McDuffie Co. is an advertising and marketing agency that runs Facebook ads on behalf of the service-based business as well as for online course creators and coaches who need qualified leads on an ongoing basis. I also offer to coach and consulting to business owners who want to learn how to run Facebook ads and improve their marketing.
Tell us about yourself
Even though I had already been using Facebook ads to get leads for one of my businesses for five years, I started to try more organic social media methods to build an audience. Very quickly, it was obvious that the organic route would be a very difficult and slow way to grow an audience of people who would be willing to spend money. But then I realized that so many other businesses were exclusively relying on organic methods to get leads. I knew that there was a need for them to learn how Facebook ads are a much faster and more accurate way to get leads who are qualified buyers. From that realization, I started my advertising and marketing agency. It's exciting when a client not only gets double the number of leads that they were getting before they started using Facebook ads, but they're also getting more booked sales calls on a regular basis. So the impact that I have on the growth of another owner's business really helps me feel like I'm fulfilling a great purpose when it means that their business gets to stay alive and keep growing.
What's your biggest accomplishment as a business owner?
There was a point in my business where an old service I was offering no longer felt like it was going to help me reach my goals. So I had to make the difficult decision to discontinue the service, gently say goodbye to some very loyal customers, and start over from scratch. My biggest accomplishment as a business owner so far is surviving that rough time when there was little to no new revenue, and yet I stayed the course because it felt more aligned with my vision. That restart is paying off, and I'm able to see that I made the right decision.
What's one of the hardest things that comes with being a business owner?
Being a business owner means that you have to be just as dedicated to the vision when things are going great and when they're not going so great. That can be hard to do in a moment when goals aren't hit or the promotion doesn't go as well as planned. But when you finally accept that difficult times are normal and inevitable, then you can just focus on the solutions that will help you get through it.
What are the top tips you'd give to anyone looking to start, run and grow a business today?
- The first tip I would give is to be willing to invest time and money in the areas of your business that will help you create momentum with your sales early on. If a task is not tied to increasing your revenue, then I would wait to invest any time or money in that task.
- The second tip is to keep taking radical action consistently, but give yourself time to see the results. Delayed results can be hard to wait for, but believe in yourself even more on the hard days.
- And the final tip is to use data, critical thinking, and intuition way more than you use emotion to make decisions. Problems are inevitable, but so are solutions if you stay focused on the right information.
Where can people find you and your business?
Website: https://www.ambermcduffie.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmberMcDuffieCo
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ambermcduffieco/
If you like what you've read here and have your own story as a solo or small business entrepreneur that you'd like to share, then please answer these interview questions. We'd love to feature your journey on these pages.
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